In a big win for public health, Ukraine’s President has signed a new law increasing taxes on cigarettes by 40 percent. The law, which takes effect March 1, continues Ukraine’s strong commitment to reducing the devastating burden of tobacco-related death and disease. It was enacted despite strong opposition from the tobacco industry and its allies.

In a significant victory for public health, the Republic of Moldova has passed a bold and comprehensive law aimed at reducing tobacco use and its devastating consequences. The new law was enacted despite years of opposition from the tobacco industry and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

The new law will help Moldova fulfill its obligations under the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, the world’s first public health treaty. Key provisions will ...

For years, the major tobacco companies have fought cigarette tax increases and other tobacco control measures by claiming they will spark massive increases in cigarette smuggling and black markets. But stories in The Wall Street Journal (subscription only), The Guardian and other media reveal that British American Tobacco (BAT), the world’s second largest multinational tobacco company, has been supporting — and profiting from — the same cigarette smuggling schemes that tobacco companies claim are caused by policies to reduce tobacco use.

Tobacco industry-funded organization asks government representatives to attend private meeting before WHO conference

Editor
Oct 8, 2014

A tobacco industry-funded organization is trying to gut life-saving efforts to raise tobacco taxes as countries prepare to discuss the issue at an upcoming World Health Organization conference on tobacco control, according to an article in the Financial Times(subscription required). The conference kicks off October 13 in Moscow.

The International Tax and Investment Center (ITIC), a Washington, DC-based organization, has asked government representatives from around the world to attend a private meeting shortly before the conference in an effort to undercut progress on tobacco tax increases. According to the Financial Times, “all four of the major international tobacco companies, including British American Tobacco and Philip Morris International, are sponsors of the ITIC and have representatives on its board of directors.”

Tobacco companies claim they have smokers' interests at heart when they oppose tobacco tax increases. But they are all too willing to exploit smokers for their own financial gains, as shown by a USA TODAY story this week.

USA TODAY reviewed companies in the Standard and Poor's 500 and found that three tobacco giants — Philip Morris International, Altria and Lorillard — are among the top 10 with the biggest profit margins, a measure of how much companies keep of every dollar in revenue after paying expenses. The three tobacco companies all have profit margins of over 40 percent.

More evidence that cigarette tax is a win-win-win

Editor
Jul 31, 2013

Early learning advocates today released results of a national survey showing strong support across party lines for a plan to expand early childhood education programs with funding from a 94-cent increase in the federal cigarette tax.

Washington Post blog hails proposal

Editor
Apr 12, 2013

Earlier this week, President Obama presented his 2014 budget, which proposes to fund early childhood education initiatives by increasing the federal cigarette tax by 94 cents per pack and similarly increasing taxes on other tobacco products.

Proposals advance in Massachusetts, Minnesota, Wyoming

Editor
Jan 28, 2013

Tobacco tax increases are a win-win-win solution for states — a health win that reduces smoking and saves lives, a financial win that raises revenue and reduces tobacco-related health care costs, and a political win because tobacco taxes have the strong support of the public.

Measure enacted over strong tobacco industry opposition

This new law will help reduce tobacco’s deadly toll in the Philippines, where 28 percent of the population smokes – including nearly half of all men – and more than 35,000 Filipinos die each year from tobacco-related disease. We applaud President Aquino and lawmakers who supported the law for taking such strong action to reduce tobacco use.

In particular, tobacco companies have mislabeled roll-your-own tobacco as pipe tobacco and increased the weight of many cigars to escape higher tobacco taxes imposed by a 2009 federal law. By keeping the prices of these products low, tobacco companies are attracting kids and keeping smokers hooked.

Cuts Jeopardize Efforts to Improve Health, Reduce Costs

Editor
Jun 29, 2012

North Carolina legislators have let down kids and taxpayers with a budget that drastically cuts funding for the state's very successful tobacco prevention and cessation programs. This budget will lead to more kids becoming addicted to tobacco, fewer tobacco users getting the help they need to quit, more lives lost and North Carolina taxpayers paying the bill for higher tobacco-caused health care costs.

Industry's shameful tactics on full display for World No Tobacco Day

Editor
May 31, 2012

Today is World No Tobacco Day, and the tobacco industry is doing exactly what the World Health Organization warns is a typical industry bullying tactic that must be stopped: Tobacco companies are spending more than $45 million to defeat a California ballot initiative that would raise the cigarette tax by $1 to reduce smoking, as well as fund cancer research and tobacco prevention programs.

Raising taxes on tobacco products will protect kids and save lives

Editor
May 23, 2012

Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley has signed a life-saving increase in the state's tax on little cigars and smokeless tobacco, products that the tobacco industry is marketing heavily in a bid to entice youth to use tobacco.

Kick Butts Day Rally at Georgia State Capitol

Editor
Mar 12, 2012

With just nine days to go before Kick Butts Day, youth around the country are organizing high-impact events that highlight the dangers of tobacco use and show public officials how important it is to support policies that reduce tobacco use and saves lives. The fight against tobacco is as urgent as ever following a new U.S. Surgeon General’s report that found youth tobacco use is still a “pediatric epidemic.”

At the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta, teens and health advocates will hold a rally to speak out about tobacco’s terrible toll on the state and the benefits of increasing the cigarette tax by $1. The “Bump it Up A Buck” Coalition is telling lawmakers the measure would reduce smoking, improve the health of all Georgians and generate more than $340 million in new revenue each year.

"Shame on them," says Dr. Richard Gray, president of the American Heart Association Western States Affiliate. "But we aren’t surprised — they will always put their profits before the health of millions of Californians."

The effort to pass Proposition 29, a ballot initiative to be put to voters in June, brought public officials, health advocates, cancer survivors, students – and mattresses bearing the slogan “Let’s See Who’s In Bed with Big Tobacco” – to kickoff events in cities and towns all up and down the Golden State.

Push toward higher taxes on cigars, smokeless, loose tobacco

Editor
Jan 30, 2012

States around the country are getting wise to the tobacco industry's promotion of products such as sweet-flavored cigars and smokeless tobacco as a way to hook kids and offset the decline in cigarette smoking: Increasingly, governors and lawmakers are proposing higher taxes on "other tobacco products" that too often have been left out when cigarette taxes are hiked.

Windfall disproves industry claims on lost revenues

Editor
Nov 15, 2011

Mexico saw a surge in tobacco tax revenues from January through September 2011, according to the finance ministry — the result of a 2010 hike in tobacco taxes that industry opponents had claimed would increase smuggling and lose revenue.

Instead, Mexico's finance minister said the historic increase in cigarette taxes, which raised the tax per cigarette pack by seven pesos, boosted revenues by 9 percent after adjusting for inflation.

Voters could get chance to raise cigarette taxes, fund education and tobacco prevention

Editor
Sep 23, 2011

Missouri’s meager, 17-cents-per-pack cigarette tax — the lowest in the nation — could be raised by 80 cents, reducing smoking and generating $300 million to help fund public education, state universities and programs to help smokers quit and keep kids from starting.

Conservative Michigan governor has courage to save lives

Jodi Radke, Regional Advocacy Director
Sep 21, 2011

When Republican Rick Snyder ran for Michigan Governor he promised to be a strong conservative and "one tough nerd." Now that he's in the executive mansion, Snyder is showing his toughness by standing up to efforts by Big Tobacco to lower the state's cigarette tax.

CBS News highlights "tiny tobacco tariffs" in 15 states

Editor
Sep 8, 2011

After the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new data this week showing the rate of adult smoking nationwide declined to 19.3 percent in 2010, CBS News decided to look at what it calls a "cigarette tax shocker" — the stunningly low rate of cigarette taxes in the 15 states that rank near the bottom in taxing cigarettes.

When the New Hampshire Legislature cut the state's cigarette tax by 10 cents a pack, effective July 1, it was touted as a way to boost the state's economy by reducing cigarette prices and attracting smokers from neighboring states.

It's outrageous enough that a state would encourage sales of a deadly and addictive product — one that kills 1,700 New Hampshire residents and costs the state $564 million in health care bills each year.

Abby Michaelsen works to pass California Cancer Research Act

Abby Michaelsen, National Youth Advocate of the Year
May 18, 2011

It is an immense honor to be the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids’ National Youth Advocate of the Year! I am so excited to be in Washington to receive this award and to meet my fellow advocates who have been working tirelessly in their own communities on their tobacco prevention campaigns.

At home, I’m focused on helping my local American Heart Association with our campaign for the California Cancer Research Act. This act would increase the state’s tobacco tax by $1, with all the new funds going towards tobacco prevention and cessation programs and cancer research. Voters will decide the issue in the next statewide election, though the exact date of that is still uncertain.

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Get a heads up each time we blog news and information about the global tobacco epidemic and the movement to reduce tobacco use and its terrible toll of disease and death in the United States and around the world.

By signing up, you may also get occasional alerts about opportunities to fight Big Tobacco nationally. (See Our Privacy Policy)